The Arsenal defender Thomas Vermaelen will undergo ankle surgery this week and now hopes to be fit by March. The Belgium captain told the Belgian website Sporza the operation will take place in Sweden on Tuesday.
Vermaelen has played only five times this season, and has not made a league appearance since August after suffering an achilles injury while on international duty. He had been expected to return this month, but the player has now said that a small tendon, which runs close to the achilles tendon, needs to be removed.
"According to the specialist who will operate on me it's a small tendon that runs next to the achilles tendon and is irritating it, and it needs to be taken out," he said. "It is a small tendon that doesn't do very much."
"Hopefully that will solve it. I'd like to be fit to play the European Championship qualifiers for Belgium in March, but really I'd prefer not to make predictions. I remain cautious."
Belgium play Austria in a 2012 European Championship qualifier in Vienna on 25 March, and host Azerbaijan four days later.
Last week the Arsenal manager, Arsène Wenger, said that Vermaelen had suffered "a little setback that we are a little concerned with", forcing him to target a central defender during the current transfer window.